Of Stripes and Spots
by Dreamsand Caster 2
Summary: When faced with the challenge of rescuing Tigress, Po and the gang must team up with some familiar foes, who may just have the right intentions. Father-Daughter fluff :3 TigressxPo, ViperxCrane, MonkeyxMing & others ;) Rated for safety.
1. Prologue

Of Stripes and Spots

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda.**

Prologue

*Ming POV*

The damp, blood-splattered tile of the cell floor was cold against my skin. Goosebumps prickled up my arms and legs from the chilling draft wondering in through the gaps of the barred door.

My paws were chained above my head, my feet glued to the floor by heavy metal shackles. My muscles were stiff, my body cold despite the thick layer of spotted fur that covered it.

It was painful, just lying there, helpless. With nobody in the world who cared about you enough to come and save you. I felt restless, my bones creaking in protest at any attempt I made to move.

The stinging sensation returned in my legs, and I was almost certain that the cuts that adorned my shins and thighs would be infected.

Tigress hissed beside me, and tried fiercely, to no avail, to break free of her captor. I feebly tugged at my own bondage, my tail flickering in annoyance.

"I can't stand it, just lying here doing NOTHING! What do these creeps want with us anyway?!" Tigress snarled, clenching her fists.

"I don't know, but I don't think they just invited us over for tea and biscuits." I sighed, giving one last pull at the shackles that held my wrists. I paused, before turning my body to face her as best I could.

"Do...Do you think they'll come for us?"

"Who?"

"...Junjie and Shifu. Do you think they'll come to rescue us?"

"RESCUE us? We're not damsels in distress; we can take whatever these idiots throw at us!" she protested, and I hung my head slightly.

"Tigress...you need to accept that everybody needs help 's okay to be scared. It doesn't make you weak. It shows you're strong enough not to be ashamed of how you feel." She was silent after that. I finally accepted that she wasn't going to talk anymore, and curled up as much as possible.

Just as my eyes closed, I heard her voice. "I hope they come, too. I know they will."

* * *

**I know it's kinda short, but the actual chapters will be longer. This is dedicated to 1-1 Marines :)**

**Ming is the name I gave to Junjie's female leopard student if you're wondering. Well, I hope you enjoyed! Please review and follow/favourite!**


	2. Chapter 1

Of Stripes and Spots

Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda.  
Chapter 1

*Ming POV*

"C'mon, get moving kitty. Time for a bath." The gorilla's grip on my arm was painfully tight, and my leg felt as though it had been plunged into a fire. I was right to think it would get infected.

The guard dragged me down the infinite amount of corridors, with one of his companions forcing Tigress to follow him. Two others accompanied us, both observing from quite a distance. I assumed it was in case we decided to cause trouble. I struggled against the gorilla, hissing and clawing at him, but he remained unfazed, only tightening his hold on me.

The trip to the bath-house was uneventful, and every corridor was identical to the next: stone walls; tiled floor; dim light; and boring. My eyes had grown adjusted to the lack of light, so the darkness that surrounded us wasn't problematic.

My arm felt numb, and it fell limply to my side when the gorilla let go of it upon our arrival at the grubby bath-house.

"Look, you two'll hafta share a bath. We don't getta awful lot of hot water out 'ere." My blood immediately turned cold. I swallowed the lump that was building in my throat.

"Of all the things you idiots could do for us, you brought us out for a bath?"

"'ey Stripes; I'm just following'r Masters' orders."

"Well then get out!" she commanded viciously, gesturing to the open door.

"Oh right, er, my bad," the gorilla stammered, running into the door clumsily in his haste to retreat from the room. His accomplices awkwardly followed suit when Tigress glared at them.

"Creeps," she sneered, turning to me. "Okay Ming; let's get this overwith." Sighing, she started fiddling with the clasp of her vest, but looked up at me with a puzzled and slightly impatient expression when she realised I wasn't doing the same.

"What's wrong?"

"I-I feel really uncomfortable with this-"

"What; do you think this is a treat for me either? Come on Ming, we're both women here." She raised an eyebrow at my nervous behaviour. She studied my face, and I wriggled slightly under her intense gaze. She eventually came to a conclusion.

"Okay, there's more to it than that. Really, you can tell me what the matter is...I won't judge you." She rested a paw on my shoulder in a sisterly fashion, and I appreciated the gesture more than she could comprehend. Sighing, I looked at her seriously and then averted my eyes, bowing my head.

"Look, I just... I can't tell you."

"Why not?" Her voice was rather demanding, and I shuddered slightly, thinking of my mother.

"It's...personal. I just don't want to talk about it, okay?" I stated firmly, implying that that was the end of the conversation.

"Come on Ming. Why can't you just tell me?" Tigress insisted, her eyebrows creasing in annoyance.

I yanked open my tshirt, revealing the scars that adorned my shoulders, chest, and stomach.

"There! Are you happy now?!" I growled, pulling my tshirt back over to cover the marks again. Tigress just looked at me, shock evident in her fiery eyes.

I had no response, only discarding my clothes and sinking into the less than tapid bath water. I shivered as I lowered myself slowly into the cold liquid, glancing at Tigress, who was still standing in the same place. Shaking her head slightly, she too got undressed and climbed into the bath. She discretely eyed my scars, and I pretended not to aknowledge the action, looking away and pulling my knees up to my chest, self-consciousness flooding my mind.

The first thing I did was attempt to cleanse my leg wound. I hissed at the stinging as the shallow water lapped around the cut. I lifted a bar of soap, rubbing it in circles until a thin layer of lather coating my paws. I hesitantly pressed my paw to the wound, picking at the crusty dry blood around the cut with my claws. A small tear of blood trickled down my leg and into the water, turning it a dark red.  
Sighing, I continued massaging my shin, whilst scooping up a handfull of water and splashing it over my leg to clear the blood track.

"...Are you okay?" I glanced up to see Tigress looking at me, drops of water dripping from her whiskers. I just nodded.

She sighed, picking up a bottle of some sort of fur cleansing lotion, and keeping her eyes locked on mine.

"Look Ming...I'm sorry...for trying to make you talk about IT, whatever IT is. I didn't know someone hurt you-"

"...It was my parents. They abused us- my brothers and I, I mean. My father had an alcohol problem, and both him and my mother were regular drug takers, and sometimes dealers. They used to make us work, all the time..." There was no response from Tigress for a couple of seconds, and I didn't think she was going to answer to my confession.

"Does...HE know?"

"No. And he doesn't need to."

"Why? Doesn't he have a right to know what happened to you before he took you in?" I stared at her, and she stared right back.

"...Let's...talk about this another time." I felt quite horrified at myself for admitting to Tigress about what a living hell my life had been before Baba found me and practically saved my brothers and I.

Oh, that's another thing he doesn't know- that I call him Baba.

Don't tell him.

* * *

*3rd Person POV*

"I feel so stupid! It's all my fault! I should have-"

"Po! Enough. None of this is your fault. Nobody saw it coming, and we wouldn't have been able to stop them. We just have to focus on getting her back." Viper's voice was comforting, and she rested her tail on his leg in a reassuring gesture.

"Viper is...right, Panda. We can't blame ourselves... Tigress is a capable and strong student. We just have to trust her to handle whatever she will endure until we arrive at her aid." Shifu sighed, rubbing his temples, and his reflection frowned back at him from the surface of the Moon Pool.

Viper sent him a sympathetic gaze, but the red panda pretended not to notice, and cleared his throat.

"We should leave as soon as possible."

"But Master," Crane objected, "who will protect the Valley? We can't just leave it vulnerable to the likes of bandits! Don't get me wrong, of course I want to rescue Tigress, but-"

"I understand your concern Crane, and I do not fault you for it. We shall leave the Valley in the capable hands of the Sacred Onyx Council."

"The Sacred Onyx Council? But Master, they're-"

"Good day students, Master Shifu. It's...been a while. I hope you are all well?" Everyone except Shifu whirled around in surprise at the cheery voice of Master Chao. The red panda smiled slightly at his childhood friend, bowing in respect, and his remaining pupils briskly following suit.

"Very well, thank you, Master Chao, considering...the current events." Any hint of a smile had slipped right off Shifu's face at the words that fell from his lips.

"Ah, yes...dear Master Tigress. I am sorry for all that has happened, my old friend. I can assure you that my collegues and I will take good care of the Valley of Peace in your absence."

"Thank you, Master Chao. You have my eternal gratitude." The two bowed to each other again, before Master Shifu turned around and addressed his students.

"Come, students. We must leave immediately." The five nodded, turning and bowing once more to Chao, who returned the gesture, and hurried after their master.

Once they were sure Chao was out of earshot, Monkey immediately turned to Shifu, and whisper-yelled, "How did you get MASTER CHAO to come HERE?"

Shifu seemed unfazed by the question, and simply kept his eyes on the path in front of them.

"Master Chao simply felt in debt. Po taught him and I a valuable lesson the...last time he came. He DID used to live here, you do realise. Besides, Master Chao is a Shaolin Master, and a very honourable and generous man; he would have helped us in some form even aside from that. " The master zoned out as soon as Po started his fanboying about how 'awesome' it was that Master Chao had leant something from him, focusing on a matter that had been bothering.

Sometimes, Shifu still had difficulty with talking about the day Chao came to the Jade Palace, for that was the day he lost his best friend...his brother; Junjie.

The two had always had a close relationship; despite all the pointless spats they had had as children, and sometimes as young adults. Junjie had always reminded Shifu of himself in more than one way; large ears, short structure, fighting style, intelligence levels, their tempers (which were very short), and the way their ears twitched.

The fox had a way with words; he had always been very persuasive. He was a trickster, and rather enjoyed pranking the others with their other close friend, Fenghuang, therefore having a good sense of humour. He was very intelligent and organised, with a sly side to him that you couldn't help but like, yet sometimes he could be quite uptight and impatient when someone annoyed him.

Chao had always been the patient, somehow more mature one, as he was the oldest, and always attempted to settle disputes between the two, which he usually succeeded in doing. He was quite an opinionated man, but didn't shove his opinion down your throat, or hold a grudge against you if you didn't share that opinion.

Fenghuang had been the only girl, and the youngest, in their small circle of close friends, and she was perfectly okay with that. She wasn't a particularly 'girly' person, and she preferred to be in the company of males rather than females the majority of the time.

The owl was quite attractive, with her sparkling purple eyes and interesting facial markings. She had a teasing personality, and was smart, and strong both physically and mentally. She had a good sense of humour, and could be very loving and kind towards those that she cared about, those she respected, or those that deserved to be treated that way. With bandits, enemies, or just horrible people, Fenghuang was ruthless. She had been a very demanding character at points, and could dominate a group without trying.

Chao and Shifu had never been AS close to Fenghuang as Junjie had been, and the red panda had been convinced that Junjie had developed an extreme crush on the owl. Chao was quite certain Fenghuang fancied him too, though both were in denial.

Fenghuang claimed she would only date those within the Furious Five, and Junjie echoed her, though Shifu teased the fox slightly about actually being completely heartbroken on the inside. He was rewarded with a bo staff to the face everytime he did.

Shifu didn't exactly have a clean slate when it came to crushes either. He had always had feelings for Mei Ling, ever since she had fought with him that afternoon they met. Despite her nasty habits, the little fox was sweet, smart, funny, and fiery, and Shifu loved her with all his heart.

Unfortunately for him, his true love actually turned out to be his best friend's sister.

Junjie hadn't warned Shifu that his younger sibling would be coming to the Valley of Peace, nor that he was fiercely protective of her. Shifu got many more smacks in the face, with not just a bo staff, but with several other choicely weapons, as well as being shoved into the Swinging Clubs of Instant Oblivion, of which he was scarcely able to get out of alive. The red panda had never imagined the fox as the overprotective type, but he assumed that it was part of his territorial nature.

The grandmaster had gotten countless glares from Junjie if he ever saw him even talking to his little sister, and many a time the phrase 'If looks could kill' flashed through Shifu's mind whenever he did recieve them. His best friend had even threatened to drown him in the Moon Pool once when he had caught Shifu staring at Mei Ling whilst she was training.

Chao, Mei Ling, and Fenghuang were extremely amused by this, much to the irritation of Junjie and Shifu. Mei Ling had later told Shifu that Junjie had ordered her not to see him anymore, but the two snuck around behind the fox's back anyway. They were willing to risk their lives to be together; well...Shifu's, more specifically.

Junjie never found out about their secret relationship, and they wanted to keep it that way.

Chao, Junjie and Shifu were inseparable (when it came to matters not involving Mei Ling), or so the three had thought.

Shifu shuddered slightly as he reflected on the time he had had with the friends he had lost, and would probably never get back.


End file.
